Ford Refutes Rumor that CEO Will Leave Early and 2 Other Hot Stocks to Watch

Ford spokesman Jay Cooney on Friday put an end to chatter that CEO Alan Mulally might leave earlier than expected by announcing he will remain on the job at least through next year. “There is no change from what we announced in November: Alan Mulally plans to continue to serve as Ford’s president and CEO through at least 2014,” Cooney said. The statement was the company’s response to a Thursday report by Reuters, which said Mulally might step down before the expected date at the end of 2014.

Facebook announced it is holding off on updates to its privacy and data use policies until at least next week to give itself time to review feedback. Through an emailed statement published by the Los Angeles Times on Thursday, the company said, “We are taking the time to ensure that user comments are reviewed and taken into consideration to determine whether further updates are necessary and we expect to finalize the process in the coming week.” Facebook revealed the new privacy policy last week; one change in particular has raised eyebrows, if not voices: The use of Facebook gives it permission to “use your name, profile picture, and content” for advertising.

The No. 1 producer of nickel, OAO GMK Norilsk Nickel, hired Citigroup Inc. to aid it in the sale of its Australian portfolio, which includes four nickel mines currently shut down because of low prices and high output costs. The company has sent out fliers to prospective suitors, according to a company spokesman, who asked not to be named because of company policy. In 2010, Norilsk indicated that it had plans to divest most of the Australian assets it acquired in 2007 through the $6.5 billion purchase of LionOre Mining International Ltd.